What would happen if the forest area on Earth doubled? Humanity will suffer the consequences
The changing forest
Today, we are faced with the gradual receding, or even disappearance, of forests. Although many countries around the world have their own forest protection plans, forests are still relatively stable. Normal forest appearance For the global forest system, short-term efforts do not mean that forest decline can be completely solved in the future. A big fire, or chaotic weather, can have a serious impact on a nascent forest. The trees in the forest are the largest and most productive organisms in the forest. The forest is not only a population of trees that grow on land, but it also provides habitats for other species of plants, as well as many animals and microorganisms. So from this aspect, the forest ecosystem is one of the most important links. Animals and microbes living in forests definitely need more forest area to thrive better. What the forest brings is a complete ecology. For human beings, wood is probably the most collected thing in the forest. Wood is often made into paper, wood processing stock, plywood, and more. Also in less developed areas, wood is a very important fuel for cooking and other purposes. The eco-economy of forests has also resulted in many non-wood products such as berries, wild mushrooms, ferns, honey, and other medicinal materials such as ginseng. Timber acquisition is the most direct way. The ecological function of forests is often overlooked by us. It can turn rocks without living people into living organic ecosystems. Bare rock and exposed soil areas will be covered with vegetation, and slowly, other flora and fauna will follow. Heavily logged forests When the trees in the forest fall, they become part of the soil mixed with other debris. In fact, most soils in forests are composed of wood and dead plants. In contrast, the newly integrated soil will further bring nutrients to the forest. That's why forests are so important today, not to mention in tropical rainforest regions, where dense forests provide ample oxygen, humid climates and widespread rainfall. Today’s climate change is severe, with runaway climate systems and ecosystems gradually collapsing, both the result of human failure to respect the constraints of the natural environment. The role of forests in naturally regulating the climate is very obvious. From the transition of the interglacial period to the ice age, the forest has maintained the overall climate of the earth for the past 12,000 years. It is neither too cold nor too hot. What if more forests were restored?
In order to restore the forest and avoid the inconvenience brought by climate change to human beings, restore the richness of nature and its ability to regulate the climate, it is particularly important to protect the forest. But... Restoring forests is not that simple. In addition to my country's conversion of farmland to forests and sand control, many foreign countries are also trying to restore the natural environment to its original state. For example, the 2009 "tree campaign" in England, Wales and Ireland, where local tree planting activities can have a positive effect on wildlife and air quality. Doubling the trees in these areas could provide annual carbon sequestration equivalent to around 10% of the UK's current greenhouse gas emissions, according to projected plans. Putting trees back on farmland In addition, the United States is also trying to double the growth of domestic trees. In 2020, the US Congress introduced the "Trillion Trees Act" to encourage the addition of 1 trillion trees. Not to mention whether the United States can achieve this target amount, as far as the current state is concerned, the United States still pays more attention to capital interests. The idea is kinda crazy but let's get back to the whole question, the importance of forests is self-evident these days, but people's actions are at best in forest protection and a certain amount of tree planting, not on a large scale Forestry activities. In other words, the question of why don't we plant more trees to fight climate change, doubling the forest area on the planet should help people live better, shouldn't it? There are many things that trees can do. In fact, things are not so simple. Planting trees is not just about planting trees in the forest, and it is not that the more trees there are, the better the forest will be. According to current statistics, there are about 1 trillion trees in the earth, and doubling it is 2 trillion. If it does happen, it will be difficult for humans to bear the consequences of the tree growth. Some people will definitely think of the problem of oxygen concentration at the first time, but this is a direct manifestation of the increase in forest area. When the oxygen concentration increases, the human respiratory system may not be able to withstand this change. Too much oxygen in the lungs can easily lead to the destruction of the capillary barrier. This leads to pulmonary edema and pulmonary congestion, which can seriously affect lung function. Too many trees is not necessarily a good thing. For insects, sufficient oxygen can make the body's inefficient oxygen conversion system get more oxygen. So insects will grow bigger, even back to Carboniferous levels. But the same problem will also be reflected in the forest. Because there are too many trees, the distance between each tree in the forest will be very close, which will make the competition between the trees more intense. At the same time, because of the density of trees, other plants in the forest do not get sunlight, so the weaker trees gradually die. Indirectly, this affects the ecological diversity of the forest. In the dry season, too many trees are prone to fire, and dense trees can easily create a fire that is difficult to extinguish, thereby further damaging the entire ecology. Evapotranspiration from trees More trees means more water is needed, and trees need a lot of water to survive. For example, conifers, whose roots can extend down to 15 meters,. Once the water in the soil is depleted, the water travels up the trunk and into the leaves. Here, water escapes into the atmosphere through tiny pores in the leaves, a process known as evapotranspiration. Water will be transpired in the original watershed until rainfall forms. But excessive transpiration can stress a region's vital water resources, especially during prolonged droughts. And this is also an important factor in the occurrence of forest fires. Therefore, in densely forested areas, there is usually a fixed period of felling to relieve the pressure on water sources brought by the forest. In some areas, a certain amount of trees will be felled on a regular basis Forests need to run steadily
So it is not difficult to see that if the global forest tree develops 200 million, it will not only It will bring water management problems to human beings, and it will also bring more natural disasters. It is also worth mentioning that the trees in the forest are not as simple as absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen. However, planting more trees will not bring more oxygen, or more trees will be a drop in the bucket for today's carbon emissions. The reality is a little more complicated than that. As trees grow, they absorb carbon dioxide from the air inside and absorb carbon into their leaves, trunks and roots. Even after the tree dies, the carbon dioxide in the soil remains, so in this regard, the carbon sequestration of the tree can mitigate carbon emissions. But the process by which trees store carbon doesn't stop there. Forests have a metabolism like people themselves When they reach maturity, forests reach a carbon-neutral balance. In mature forests, the uptake of carbon dioxide by photosynthesis balances the decay of wood and leaves, as well as the consumption of insects and animals, including the tree's own respiration, which eventually releases carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere. The role and performance of forests today In simple terms, the carbon sequestration and carbon absorption of forests also have an upper limit. Planting more trees will not solve the problem of carbon emissions like adding more trees. Because at this stage, the trees themselves cannot absorb enough carbon dioxide, and if the carbon content continues to increase, no matter how many trees are planted by humans, it is useless. Overall, the world's forest ecosystems store an estimated 638 billion tons of carbon, which is more carbon than the entire atmosphere. This data may also underestimate the total amount of carbon in forest ecosystems in the Northern Hemisphere, as soil carbon data for forests in different regions vary widely. It is a good way to perform forest conversion. A better way today is to carry out forest conversion, re-converting forest farms that have been cut down into forests, which is especially important in rainforest areas. But at the moment, any initiative is not just done to get results. The role and performance of forests are far more complex than previously understood. When we reconsider restoring greenery, we cannot ignore the impact of forests themselves. If the task is done in an extreme way, it must return an extreme result.